The No. 1 wide receiver for the Rutgers football team will play Thursday in his first college football game since Nov. 21, when a possible cheap shot by a Central Florida defender left him with a concussion. He missed the final three games of the season and was limited in contact for most of spring camp.

But that isn’t about to change Carroo’s aggressiveness going after the ball in traffic.

“I’m very comfortable going over the middle,” said Carroo, who finished with 28 catches for 478 yards and nine touchdowns. “Ever since I was 5 years old my mom has been telling me anytime the ball is in the air everyone else is invisible. I don’t see anybody. It’s not (going to change) at all.”

The Edison native’s fearlessness is one of the reasons he developed into a security blanket for turnover-prone quarterback Gary Nova – his old high school teammate at Don Bosco Prep.

“I think that’s part of Gary’s problem – he loves the kid I guess because they went to school together,” offensive coordinator Ralph Friedgen said light-heartedly. “He could have four guys on him and Gary will throw it to him and Leonte usually comes up with it. That’s the problem.”

Mike Teel, another Don Bosco product who now is a graduate assistant coach focused on the wide receivers at Rutgers, understands.

Teel played with NFL-bound receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood during his time as a record-setting quarterback for the Scarlet Knights.

“He is in that class with those guys,” Teel said of Carroo. “He is big. He is fast. He is physical. He is strong with the ball. He attacks the football. He has really good ball skills.

Teel continued, “If you kind of a make a video game player of what you want in all the aspects of speed and strength and agility and so on and so forth he falls into the category of what you would want. You throw in the fact that he works really hard and it really puts him in position to lead the group we have in that receiver room and be in position to be successful out on the field.”

While Nova knew of Carroo prior to last season, the junior is approaching the anniversary of his national coming-out party.

After playing mostly on special teams as a true freshman, Carroo entered the 2013 season-opener looking for his first career catch. He made five for 135 yards and three touchdowns in the game against Fresno State.

“That being my first game, no one knew about me,” Carroo said. “I wasn’t on the radar at all. It just boosted my confidence not only to score touchdowns but to be a leader on this team and show my teammates that I can win games for them. I have an even bigger role with that this year.”

For the handful of Scarlet Knights who are likely to make their collegiate debuts against Washington State or the handful of others about to see their first significant action, Carroo says there is no overstating the potential impact of a fast start over the long haul.

“That definitely can be a huge kick start to get your confidence going,” he said. “Especially since my first catch was a touchdown, that catch got me going for the rest of the game. That’s why I think is why I had three touchdowns. And that game allowed me to have a great season.”

It won’t be easy for Carroo to replicate or improve upon his numbers. Not only is attention-deflecting Brandon Coleman off to the NFL, but fellow wide receivers Ruhann Peele and Andre Patton are sidelined.

“Pretty much every wide receiver who had experience last year is hurt,” Carroo said. “I’ve been attacking the offseason workouts and not only being a leader for the young wide receiver corps but also for my team. I had to be first in everything I did. From spring ball until now, every drill that we do for wide receivers I’m always leading the drills. That’s what coach expects from me.”

News and notes

Wide receiver Andre Patton, tight end Nick Arcidiacono and offensive tackle Bryan Leoni will join wide receiver Ruhann Peele as out for the season-opener with injuries. ... Linebacker Myles Nash has been suspended for one game due to “violation of team policy,” according to coach Kyle Flood. ... Flood said Darius Hamilton “was back in practice full swing (Sunday) – just like we expected him to be – and I thought he looked good out there.’’